Exclusive:
Uber is trialling a new feature in a UK city that could see the issue of not being able to get a ride or having to wait a long time for one, be solved in the near future
Uber is piloting a new feature which could resolve the issue of long wait times and a shortage of Ubers available in UK cities.
The feature, named Uber XShare, originally launched in America before the pandemic, but will now be piloted in Bristol. The discounted ride option will allow passengers to share their journey with others heading in the same direction, which could help reduce long wait times and boast car availability.
If the trial is successful, the company hopes that Uber XShare will be a game changer for accessing rides across the UK, offering a faster, cheaper, and more efficient way to travel.
Andrew Brem, UK general manager, told the Mirror: “As you can imagine, in big cities with kind of arterial traffic, they are often situations where frankly got two people going in the same direction and overlapping for certain parts of the trip. What this feature does is allow you to select Uber XShare as your ride option, then you may start the trip on your own, but in return for the discount, known that someone else may join you for part or all of your trip.”
Uber has chosen to pilot the new feature in Bristol, before expanding to other cities across the whole of the UK. Bristol was picked for the pilot as it is a medium sized city and because it has a big student population Uber expects “will be more sensitive” to an option that benefits the environment more than an average Uber ride.
“I hope in due course, it [Uber XShare] will come everywhere … In some respects, I’d imagine it would be rolled out in at least all the big cities in the next six months. Some people are very conversational, and therefore they really like the idea of sharing [a ride],” he continued.
Mr Brem also stressed that safety of both riders and drivers remained important in the creation of this feature. He said: “We do have a feature in the app that allows you to — as a normal rider can — make someone else aware of your ride. So if there was a rider, who was a little bit more anxious for whatever reason, and wanted someone to keep an eye them, they can use that feature. Drivers are trained quite extensively, in particular to de-escalate situations if they are ever concerned.”
The feature is good for riders’ pockets and tackles the issue of not being able to book a car in big, busy cities. Uber XShare also provides a more environmentally friendly option. For example, if you had one rider going from A to D, another from B to D and another from C to D, you can reduce the number of cars on the road from three to one.
“It’s good for the environment and [can help reduce] unnecessary uses of peoples’ own cars,” added Mr Brem.
Riders who share UberX rides via the feature will be able to benefit from a discount of up to 20 percent on the cost of a trip, and only a maximum of eight minutes will be added to each ride, Uber claims.
